Unloading attachment for wagons.



A. L. ORBGER.

UNLOADING ATTACHMENT FOR WAGONS.

- APPLICATION FILED 1111115, 1911.

1,019,952, Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

COLUMBIA I'LANOGRAVN #0., WASHINGTON. D. c.

A. L. OREGER. I UNLOADING ATTACHMENT FOR WAGONS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1911.

1,019,952. Patented Mar. 12-, 1912.

- 2SHEETSSHEBT 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALVIN L. GREGEB, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

UNLOADING ATTACHMENT FOR WAGONS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALVIN L. Cnnenn, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Des Moines, Polk county, Iowa, have invented a new and useful Unloading Attachment for Vagons, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

The objectof this invention is to provide an improved unloading attachment for wagons.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved attachment for wagons for the purpose of unloading bundle grain.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated'by the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan of a hay-rack provided with my improved attachment as adapted for unloading from the rear of said rack. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the indicated line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan of a hay-rack equipped with a modified form of my attachment, adapted to operate from the side of said rack. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section on the indicated line 44 of Fig. 3.

The hay-rack shown in the drawing is of the common basket type and the bed thereof is composed of sills 10, 11, 12, 13, cross-bars 14, 15, 16, 17 resting thereon, and a plurality of bottom boards 18 extending longitudinally of the rack and secured to said crossbars. Uprights 19 are fixed to and rise from the outermost sills 10, 13 and side boards 20 are fixed thereto. A plurality of front cross-bars 21 connect the forward uprights 19 and a single rear cross-bar 22 connects the rearmost uprights 19 at their upper end port-ions. The rear cross-bars'16, 17 of the bed of the rack are cut away in their central portions between the intermediate sills 11, 12, and the bottom boards 18 which lie above the same sills are cut away in their rear portions, thus leaving a sunken portion in the bed of the rack between the rear port-ions of the sills 11, 12. The sunken portion is provided with a front wall 23 and a bottom 24 resting on transverse cleats 25. A conveyer frame is mounted in said sunken portion and is composed principally of side bars 26, 27 which extend longitudinally of the rack and project a material distance beyond the rear end portion thereof. A horizontal shaft 28 is mounted for rotation between the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 5, 1911.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

Serial No. 625,279.

forward end port-ions of the side bars 26, 27 and said shaft carries a sprocket wheel 29 at each end, one of said. sprocket wheels being shown in Fig. 2. A horizontal shaft 30 is mounted for rotation between the rear end portion of the side bars 26, 27 and carries at each end a sprocket wheel 31, one of which is shown in Fig. 2. A horizontal shaft 32 is mounted for rotation between the side bars 26, 27 immediately beyond the rear end portions of the sills 11, 12 and carries at each end a sprocket wheel 33, one of which is shown in Fig. 2. The side bars 26, 27 are jointed at the point where the shaft 32 is journaled and are provided with hinge plates 34 which articulate on said shaft and allow the rear or outside portion of the conveyer frame to be moved vertically through an are relative to said shaft. An adjusting rod 35 is pivoted at one end to the forward portion of the side bar 26 and slides through a lug 36 on the rear portion of said bar. The adjusting rod is adapted to be engaged by a set screw 37 in the lug 36 for the purpose of holding the rear portion of the jointed conveyer frame in any position in which it may be placed manually. A plat form or apron 38 is fixed to the upper mar gins of and covers the space inclosed by the side bars 26, 27 and is notched as at 39 to receive the sprocket wheels 29, 31, 33. The platform or apron 38 is jointed at the rear end of the rack and the front end of the rear section thereof underlies the rear end of the front section by means of an inclined flange 40 thereon. Sprocket chains 41, 42 connect the sprocket wheels 29, 31, 33 on opposite sides of the conveyer. Cleats 43 are fixed to and connect opposite links of the chains 41, 42 and extend transversely of the conveyer. It is the function of the cleats on the chains 41, 42 to act as drags and convey bundles of grain deposited on the apron or platform 38. The intermediate shaft 32 of the conveyer projects at one end beyond the conveyer frame and is connected by a universal coupling 44 to a shaft 45. The shaft 45 is telescoped at its outer end in a shaft 47 and is adjustable therein by means of a set screw 46. The shaft 47 is connected by means of a universal coupling 48 at its outer end to a shaft 49 which is adapted to be attached to and driven by extraneous driving means not shown. A bail 50 is pivoted to the rear end port-ion of the hay-rack and is adapted to be raised into vertical position at times and support the entire conveyer and conveyer frame in inclined position, said conveyer 4 frame being arranged for articulation on the forward shaft 28. Doors 51, 52 are hinged to the side bars 26, 27 within the rack and are adapted to cover that portion of the conveyer which lies within said rack. The doors 51, 52 are adapted to rest on and be supported in open position by brackets 53, 54 fixed to and extending laterally from the forward portion of the conveyer frame.

In practical use of the device as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the doors 51, 52 are closed as shown and the rack is loaded with bundle grain in the usual manner. The load is then hauled to the separator and the wagon backed up to the feeding table thereof. The shafts 45, 427 are adjusted as to length by means of the set screw 46 according to the distance of the wagon from the separator. The shaft 49 is connected to driving mechanism on the separator in any desired manner to the end of rotating the shafts l7, 15 and 32 and driving the conveyer rearwardly. The rear jointed portion of the conveyer is ad justed as to inclination by means of the rod 35 and set screw 37 according to the height of the feeder of the separator. Bundles of grain are then pitched upon the rear portion of the conveyer by a fork in the hands of a man standing on the load, and said bundles are carried rearwardly by said conveyer to the feeder of the separtor. When the doors 51, 52 have been uncovered in the 35 operation of unloading said doors are opened and the bundles may then be pitched upon any portion of the conveyer until the rack is unloaded. Then the shafts are disconnected, the doors are closed and the rack is ready to receive another load. If desired the entire conveyer may be inclined upwardly at its rear end by means of the bail 5O engaging the under side of the conveyer frame, and the rear or jointed section thereof may be adjusted to any desired inclination relative to the front section. I

In the construction of the device according to Figs. 3 and 4 the conveyer is mounted in a sunken portion extending laterally of the middle of one side of the rack, and feeds from the side of said rack. In this construction the sills '10, 11 and the bottom boards 18 to one side of the rack are cut away, as well as the side boards 20, and the side bars 26, 27 of the conveyer frame lie between the cross-bars 15, 16 of the bed of the rack. The conveyer is driven from the forward shaft 28, which is formed with a worm 53 meshing with a worm gear on the forward portion of a shaft 54. The shaft 54L extends longitudinally of the side bar 26 and is j ournaled for rotation in bearings 55, 56 on the outer face of said side bar. The side bars of the conveyer frame are jointed as in the construction previously described and may be adjusted in any desired degree of inclination. Tighteners 57, 58 are fixed to the inner faces of the side bars of the conveyer frame adjacent the joints thereof and are adapted to engage the chains 41, 42 and hold the same in contact with the sprocket wheels 33 on the intermediate shaft 32. An apron 59 is hinged to the outer end portion of the conveyer frame and is adapted to guide and direct the bundles of grain after the same have left the end of the conveyer. The operation of the device constructed according to Figs. 3 and 4 is the same as hereinbefore described. The wagon is driven alongside the separator and unloaded from the side instead of from the rear.

I claim as my invention- 1. A device of the class described, comprising a jointed conveyer frame in and projecting from a wagon bed and normally occupying approximately the same horizontal plane as said wagon bed; transverse shafts in said conveyer frame, sprocket wheels on said shafts, an endless conveyer on said sprocket wheels, flexible connections between one of said shafts and extraneous driving mechanism, and means for adjusting the inclination of the jointed portion of said conveyer frame, said means comprising a rod pivoted to one member of said frame and passing through and securable in a lug on the other member thereof.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a hayrack, a jointed conveyer frame in and extending laterally from the bed thereof, and normally occupying approximately the same horizontal plane as said bed; horizontal shafts journaled transversely of said frame, the jointed portion of said frame articulating on an intermediate shaft, sprocket wheels on said shafts, a flexible conveyer on said sprocket wheels, means for adjusting the elevation of the outer end of said conveyer frame, means for elevating the entire conveyer frame independently of said adjusting means, and flexible connections with an extraneous source of power.

Signed by me at Des Moines, Iowa, this seventh day of March, 1910.

ALVIN L. CREGER.

Witnesses:

S. 0. SWEET, EARL M. .SINCLAIR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained-for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

